Swimming to Soda Land

2013

Swimming to Soda Land

Travel via a tickle, a wish or a rainbow – to meet a funny raindrop fairy with issues. Come step inside our fairy tale and help solve her problems and others. Make potions, follow treasure maps, run down tunnels of light. Meet the wizard of weather, the witch, and the icicle queen. Make spells that make weather and let your parents choose the lighting.

Soda Land is a place half in the real world, half on the way to somewhere else – a fairytale kingdom made only of water, where no can remember the land. Yet do not worry. You will be offered a tiny little sweet which will enable you to breathe under water.

Background

Swimming to Soda Land came about because I was interested in making an interactive work where the children could become part of the action. Where they could walk into the fairy tale itself. And yet also develop a story that begins in the real world with characters that adults can connect to as well.

Initial research at Choreodrome explored how dancers themselves moved with their own children and this led to this research project funded by Arts Council England and supported by South East Dance and Dance East. This is a short film showing some of the movement that was developed over eight days in the studio with the five dancers, a video interactive artist and a lighting designer. It was supported by dance East and South East Dance.

One of our main interest’s in the project was how to make video interaction fluid, fun, and seem-less. So for instance in the last sequence you see here, it will in fact be danced to the sound of wind. Yet the space itself will be full of sensors, so that when one is hit by a dancer it will create the sound of thunder rain or lightening. Hence the movement itself will create the storm.

We are looking for right now for partners to go into production in 2018- so do feel free to get in contact if you are interested.